Owning Your Leadership: Building Extraordinary Relationships Beginning With Self

Any position requires self-management skills and a deeper understanding of leadership and relationship techniques, whether leadership or another role.

In today's demanding climate, practice leaders are intensely focused on business strategies, decision-making and results. However, minimal time is spent on self-management – the skills and strategies that anchor personal and professional growth. Leaders must develop 'self' to effectively influence team members and peers and effectuate real change within their firm.

At the invitation of CPA.com, John Engels, Founder and President of Leadership Coaching, Inc., developed a seven-part on-demand series: Owning Your Leadership: Building Extraordinary Relationships Beginning With Self. John has over three decades of experience as a leading thinker and coach to top-level leaders of businesses and professional firms. John offers a deeper perspective on often unexamined issues that influence leaders' thinking and behaviour. This self-study, seven-part program provides accounting professionals with a deeper understanding of the leadership and relationship skills they'll need to be effective in any position within a firm. It starts with managing self. Topics covered include:

Session 1 – Understanding the landscape of leadership (CPE Credit 2.0)

Learning Objectives At the end of this session, you will be able to: 

• Describe how multigenerational family relationship patterns influence leadership behaviours at work
• List similarities between animal and human relationship behaviours 
• Recognize your role in relationship challenges that occur at work and at home 
• Identify the key characteristics of an open mindset 
• Name the Three Flowers of Leadership and identify the flower you most need to nourish

Session 2 – How to promote responsibility as well as maturity within the firm culture (CPE Credit 1.0)

In this session, we will work toward understanding and building our own maturity and the maturity of others. We will talk quickly about how we are all brain wired to respond emotionally and automatically whenever we perceive a threat. The dangers of imagining, overreacting to or avoiding a threat because of discomfort can affect our relationships and decisions at the expense of the firm’s culture. We will be talking about why doing what seems easy often prevents us from doing the right thing. As you listen, think of examples in your own personal and professional life of instances of higher functioning and immaturity viruses that happen day‐to‐day. Learning Objectives At the end of this session, you will be able to:

•  Identify examples of Promoting Maturity and Responsibility
•  Describe the characteristic of Higher Functioning
•   Cite examples of Emotional Maturity
•   Identify examples of over‐functioning

Session 3 – Self-definition and the power of the "l" position (CPE Credit 1.0)

This session is the start of the application areas for leadership growth. This is a skill, an application that can take years to master and is a source of deep value for those who look to you for leadership, both at home as well as at work. As you think about this session, think about recent conversations you have had that were less than satisfactory and consider how "I" positions and self‐responsibility can fortify your leadership. 

Learning Objectives At the end of this session, you will be able to:

•  Cite the main characteristics of Self-Definition
• Recognize "I" Positions 
• Identify methods of Self-Disclosure

Session 4 – Connecting while cultivating solid relationships inside and outside the firm (CPE Credit 1.0)

We touched on Connection in Session 3, and in this session, we will go much deeper into this important subject. For some, this may be a little uncomfortable, but I assure you I've witnessed many leaders grow exponentially just by becoming more strategic in how they connect with their employees, their peers, their clients, and their family members. I don't want to discount the word strategic in what we talk about here; very few of us are natural at connecting. We’ll show you how to work at it. It’s up to you to take the time to reflect, plan and be intentional about connecting. 

Learning Objectives At the end of this session, you will be able to:

•  Explain why stories are powerful connection strategies
•  Understand connection level characteristics
• Identify connection stimulators

Session 5 – How to build confidence and initiative as an aspiring leader (CPE Credit 1.0)

In this session, we'll discuss the purposes and strategies for high-impact coaching inside your organization. After exploring the potent influence of mindset on execution, we'll spend a good amount of time learning about the relationship triangles that impede maturity and how we can better manage ourselves so that others can become the more responsible problem solvers we'd like them to be. 

Learning Objectives At the end of this session, you will be able to:  

• Identify the differences between “helpful helpfulness” and “unhelpful helpfulness.”
• Identify the ways in which over‐involvement short‐circuits the growth of others. 
• Use your knowledge of relationship triangles to evaluate problems others bring to you in a more conscious and skilful manner 
• List specific strategies to handle the relationship triangles that recur in your work and personal interactions.

Session 6 – How to manage discomfort and fear while holding everyone accountable (CPE Credit 1.0)

In session 6, we will start incorporating some of what we already learned into more practice. Consider specific situations that might be temporarily uncomfortable. Remember, discomfort is the frequent companion of progress. Don’t let it stop you. Think back to session 2, when we discussed automatic responses. This session will invite you to face problems and challenges head-on and to produce thoughtful responses that enable others to take greater responsibility for their function. This session will help you think more clearly about what my responsibility is and what’s theirs. This is a short session. So we will come back and discuss some good reflections and exercises to take with you at the end. 

Learning Objectives At the end of this session, you will be able to:

• Cite benefits of careful crafting of “I” Positions
•  Describe effective ways to manage reactivity to emotional discomfort
• Identify examples of weak accountability strategies  

Session 7 – Succession coaching and the "how to" for developing both your existing and emerging leaders (CPE Credit 1.0)

In session 7, we will continue to put into practice what we have already learned. This session brings the entire program together and focuses your role on succession coaching and developing future leaders in the firm.

 Learning Objectives At the end of this session, you will be able to: 

• Cite ways to lay the groundwork for creating a legacy firm environment 
• Describe ways to create a greater level of emotional maturity in the firm
• Recognize methods used to reduce anxiety in the firm, beginning with your anxiety
• Begin the coaching process with one or more at your firm and home  

The course includes integrated text and study guide, a final exam and a grading service.

Course outline

CPE Credits

If you are taking this course for CPE credit, you must pass the course exam with a score of at least 70%. After passing the exam, you will be issued a Certificate of Completion by CPA.COM. This certificate is the documentation required by regulatory agencies. You must complete the exam within one year of buying this course. Retain your invoice; it serves as your proof of purchase.

You do not have to take the sessions sequentially.

"By an alternate lens that brings honest self-awareness and personal accountability into focus, the program builds the ability to connect and communicate with peers, team members and family. John has a unique ability to connect with people. While he guides participants on a not necessarily a comfortable journey, it is an advantageous process both personally and professionally."

--Gail M. Kinsella, CPA, CGMA, Partner, The Bonadio Group

CPA.com (Registration # 108347) is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its website: www.nasbaregistry.org